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Matthew. You make me so nervous when you call me that. Not as nervous as Rebecca Brooks and Andy Coulson were when they were on trial back in 2014. It's October 31st, the Old Bailey, London. Rebecca Brooks takes her place next to Andy Coulson in the dock. It's day two of the phone hacking criminal trial. Rebecca and Andy are not the only former News International employees being judged, but they are making all the headlines.
As the people with the highest public profile, they were always going to be of interest. They also have the furthest to fall. There are a lot of charges here. If found guilty, they could both face long prison sentences. And the scrutiny is about to step up a gear, because despite a concerted effort, Rebecca and Andy's lawyers have failed to get the sensitive matter pulled from evidence.
Interesting. What's the sensitive matter? That's legal speak for a love letter written by Rebecca to Andy in 2004 during their on-off six-year affair when they were both still married. Oh, yes. The letter was found in the search of Rebecca's London flat after her arrest. Both defendants' barristers have fought hard to have it excluded from evidence, saying its disclosure would breach their human rights.
It's so ironic that they're trying to protect their privacy when they're being done for hacking other people's phones. Ain't it just? Well, it doesn't fly. The lead QC for the prosecution, Andrew Edis, is about to read it to the court as part of his opening argument. This is Rebecca. The fact is, you're my very best friend. I tell you everything. I confide in you. I seek your advice. I love you. Care about you. Worry about you. We laugh and cry together.
Oh man, it's really romantic. It's not the filth our listeners would have been hoping for. No, possibly not. The heart wants what the heart wants. It's mortifying for Rebecca to hear this in court. She stares at her lap. She can't even bring herself to look at her husband, Charlie, who is just yards away in the dark. Yeah, he's on trial as well. Yes, charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. We will get to that. Andy Coulson looks straight ahead. He at least doesn't have to worry about his wife's reaction. She is notably absent.
It's the kind of story Rebecca and Andy would have lapped up in their News of the World days. Sure enough, the press pack all scribbled furiously in their notepads. The letter will be across the news channels and social media within minutes. It's embarrassing, sure, but it's worse than that. It could affect their prospects at the trial. Edith keeps reading. How does this work thing manifest itself? Do we limit contact until we absolutely have to? Obviously I can't discuss my worries, concerns, problems at work with you anymore, and vice versa.
Rebecca shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She steals a quick glance at Andy. He still doesn't meet her eye, keeps staring ahead. I can't really blow her a kiss. Hey, babes. Not even a pout? Andy's professional and personal lives were entangled for years. Now it means their fate is also entwined. But it's not just their future hanging in the balance. The reputation of Rupert Murdoch's news empire does too, as does the rest of the world's view of the behaviour of Britain's press.
For better or worse, the phone hacking trial is underway. My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big ROAS man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend.
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Thank you.
So Matt, just a reminder of where we are. In the summer of 2011, the full extent of phone hacking at the News of the World was exposed. The tabloid was closed and several of its former executives, including big players Andy Coulson and Rebecca Brooks, were arrested and charged with crimes relating to phone hacking. Rupert Murdoch publicly apologised for his company's actions. Rebecca Brooks resigned from her post as CEO of News International. And there were also resignations from the Met Police. It was massive. And amazingly...
This isn't the end of the story. No, not by a long way. The finale was still to come in the shape of the Leveson inquiry into the actions of the press. And then there's the criminal trial of Rebecca Brooks and Andy Coulson, as well as Rebecca's husband, Charlie Brooks. Yes. Are we going to find out what was on that mysterious laptop he left in a bin? We certainly are, Matt. This is episode four, The Media on Trial. Let's go back to the 14th of November, 2011, the Royal Courts of Justice, London.
Lord Brian Leveson fights his way through the hordes of paparazzi. Despite the frenzy, his face is impassive. At 62, this isn't the first high-profile case Leveson has presided over.
Talking of notorious double acts. We love a public inquiry on British scandal. This one was really massive, wasn't it?
It essentially played out like a soap opera with a new guest star every day. In the coming months, Leveson will hear testimony from politicians and celebrities, tabloid reporters turned whistleblowers, Met police commissioners, and a lot of the victims not in the public eye for the first time. Feelings are still running high over the suffering of families like the Dowlers. Lord Leveson enters the courtroom. He ignores the TV cameras and the jostling members of the press. Taking his seat, he opens proceedings with a speech.
Any failure within the media affects all of us. At the heart of this inquiry, therefore, may be one simple question. Who guards the guardians? Then the inquiry's counsel, Robert JQC, takes over. He outlines the failure of police, politicians and the Press Complaints Commission to control the ever-growing power of newspapers. For the first time, there's an opportunity to reduce the press's hold over Britain. The
The pressure to punish the papers is on. What happens in this room could change the future of Britain's media forever. The Leveson inquiry went on for months and there were headlines about it pretty much every day. Yes, and it had so many important moments. The parents of Millie Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl, come to speak. They talk about how they find out some of her voicemails have been deleted and the hope that they had that she was still alive.
Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of missing schoolgirl Maddie, also make quite an impact. They give damning testimony about the press intrusion into their grief. The News of the World published Kate's private diaries and she describes it as making her feel totally violated. Then there are the celebrities, of course.
JK Rowling talks about how she was targeted. A journalist sneaked a letter into her daughter's school bag asking the author for quotes. She's taken legal action against the press over 50 times for breach of privacy. The inquiry looks at the police too. Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott gives evidence. At first, the police said he hadn't been hacked, but it turns out he was. And the police had the evidence all along, from their first raid on Glenmalkare.
At the inquiry, Prescott says there was a conspiracy of silence between members of the press and certain police officers to cover it all up. I mean, we haven't even gone into the police side of all this yet in this series so far. There's a whole other level to this. The inquiry also hears from journalists, people like Paul McMullen, a former features executive at the News of the World, who is one of the whistleblowers. He's pretty angry at Rebecca Brooks and Andy Coulson. He calls them the scum of journalism for trying to drop me and my colleagues in it.
And you remember Sean Hoare, of course. The cocaine for breakfast guy. Yes, he was the guy who worked with Andy Coulson on the Sun Showbiz column. He died in July 2011, so his brother Stuart appears at Leveson to speak on his behalf about the pressure news international executives put on their reporters to bring stories in. Amazingly, the tabloids aren't coming out of this very well. No, and all that sets the stage for one of the biggest days for the inquiry. MUSIC PLAYS
It's Friday the 11th of May 2012, 9.15am. Rebecca Brooks' Range Rover pulls up in front of the Royal Courts of Justice. She should be used to giving evidence by now, but it never gets easier. Especially when public opinion of her is so low.
It's not made any easier when she sees a man dressed as a horse waiting for her outside. What? I thought this might pique your interest. OK, a bit of a sidebar. The horse is the work of a guy from a rival tabloid at the Daily Star. There's been another scandal involving Rebecca lately. It's come out that Rebecca got a retired police horse for the Prime Minister David Cameron. It was called Horst.
Lovely. Works on two levels because horses do have gates. So Rebecca is neighbours with David Cameron. They're part of that Chipping Norton set. Great pubs. Yes, as we know. And now Rebecca and Cameron have become increasingly close. And what with her other half, Charlie, being a horse trainer, Rebecca now rides regularly. So she got a horse for David. What better way to get in with the PM? They can go on rides together. And why can't he just buy his own? He's absolutely minted. Maybe it's one of those, you scratch my back, I'll buy you a retired police horse kind of situations. Yeah. Keith.
Keep me out of jail and here's an old nag. Come on, mate. I bought you a retired police force. If nothing else, it does show how powerful someone like Rebecca is. She's mates with the police, the prime minister. All the while, all these allegations of illegal phone hacking are happening. It's just a murky world. So Rebecca takes her place in front of the inquiry. One slip-up today will be disastrous. Her criminal trial for phone hacking is coming up. Anything she says here could be used against her to send her to prison.
The lawyer, Robert Jay, soon gets into his groove and a game of verbal ping pong ensues. Did Rupert Murdoch throw Rebecca a 40th birthday party? Yes. Were politicians including Tony Blair present? Yes. Did she have any involvement with Andy Coulson's appointment as communications director for the Conservative Party? No. The lawyer moves on to David Cameron. Rebecca tries to play down their reputation as bosom buddies. I would text Mr Cameron and vice versa on occasion.
How were these texts signed off? Everyone wants to know. Judge Leveson is less than impressed. Do I? Leveson may not care for such trivia, but Rebecca is happy to go on. He would sign them off DC in the main. Occasionally he'd sign them off lol, lots of love, until I told him it meant laugh out loud. Imagine that on a bereavement message. Sorry to hear about your grandma dying. Lol. Cameron's really bad at texts, isn't he? They're always seeming to trip him up.
Rebecca tells the inquiry he went back to signing off DC after that. Leveson clearly thinks they've gone too far off topic. Right, done that, move on. Sounds like me talking to you. The questions continue. Finally, she gets to give her side.
You've put to me quite a few gossipy items, for want of a better word. My personal alchemy, did Rupert Murdoch and I swim? Where did I get the horse from? Did Mr. Murdoch buy me a suit? The list is endless. I think a lot of it is gender-based. If I was a grumpy old man of Fleet Street, no one would write the first thing about it.
The problem with this whole thing is when Rebecca Brooks or someone like that makes a point I'm inclined to be sympathetic to, I can't help but just think it's a savvy play. Yeah, we're just so aware that her job is to frame stories in a particular light and you can't shake that, can you? By 4pm, Rebecca is finally done. It's been a long day. Yet again, she's managed to avoid any slip-ups. But her trial is still to come. It'll help her chances if she's come across as likeable, believable today.
She'll just have to wait to find out. One thing is clear, though. Today's headlines are about David Cameron's lol texts rather than criticism of her. In that, at least, Rebecca's work here is done. Knew it. It's your fault making jokes about it. Just over a week later, Lord Leveson walks into Court 73.
Over the past 12 months, he's heard from 184 witnesses and accepted 42 written submissions. Now the inquiry is over. Today, Leveson will announce his conclusions. Anti-hacking campaigners like Labour MP Tom Watson are hoping Leveson will bring serious change to press regulations in the UK. After all the scrutiny of the inquiry, they're hoping the power of the press and Rupert Murdoch will be contained at last. Here's a snippet of Leveson summing up.
There have been too many times when, chasing the story, parts of the press have acted as if its own code, which it wrote, simply did not exist. This has caused hardship and, on occasion, wreaks havoc with the lives of innocent people whose rights and liberties have been disdained. Leveson suggests a new system of self-regulation is needed.
Self-regulation never sounds like it's going to be that tough. Exactly. A self-regulated body means it won't have any legal powers. And actually, there already was a self-regulated body, the Press Complaints Commission, but that was pretty toothless. This new self-regulated body will operate independently of editors, government and business. So it's a little bit better. And it should establish a whistleblowing hotline that unhappy hacks can use if they're asked to do bad things. And guess who'll be listening in?
It's not exactly what the anti-hacking campaigners were hoping for. It's not a major shift. It's tough because no one wanted to affect freedom of speech, but this must feel pretty lame to them.
Later, in Parliament, Prime Minister David Cameron summarises Leveson's findings. He looks relieved. For him, the inquiry has been embarrassing, but now the pressure's off. For Rupert Murdoch, it's cost him more. One of his best-known newspapers, the B-Sky B deal, some key executives and a heap of legal fees. But now the crisis is waning for him too.
For Rebecca Brooks and Andy Coulson, the danger is still to come. They both face a criminal trial. The victims of phone hacking may yet get their payback.
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It's the 27th of January 2014, the Old Bailey, three months into the phone hacking trial. Rebecca Brooks and Andy Coulson sit in the dock along with the other accused. Dan Evans takes the witness stand, 48 years old, with a shaved head and sharp suit. He knows what a big deal this is. The former tabloid reporter is risking the wrath of News International. Not many go up against these guys and come out unscathed.
Dan is one of several ex-News of the World journalists who's pled guilty to phone hacking. Among the others are Greg Miskew, the former news executive, and the private investigator Glenn Mulcair. He's pleaded guilty to hacking Millie Dowler's phone. But Dan is the only one who is prepared to talk openly about the hacking he did at the paper. I remember Dan from episode one. He's the one who hacked Sienna Miller and played the tape to Coulson in a meeting. You've got a good memory, yes. That's what his evidence was, but Andy Coulson is denying it.
Dan stands before Coulson's defence lawyer in the witness box. Beads of sweat form on his forehead. Dan trips over his words a few times, but he forces himself to stay focused. He tells the jury that on his first day at the News of the World, he was given a list of celebrities and other names and their phone numbers, then told to hack them. Every now and then, Coulson looks up from his notepad. His eyes practically burn into Dan's. Dan can only swallow hard and carry on.
But then the defence lawyer hits him with the killer question. Dan is saying he played the voicemail of Sienna Miller to Andy. But the lawyer has evidence that Andy Coulson wasn't even in the office that day. The lawyer smiles at Dan, almost daring him to talk his way out of that one. Dan comes back strong. Perhaps it was the following day, later in the day. It doesn't alter the fact playing the tape and remarks made happened. Certainly salient elements are clear in my mind. Dan is still shaking a little as he leaves the witness box.
It's not every day you hammer a nail into your ex-boss's coffin, but that's exactly what Dan has just done to Andy Coulson. It's March 2014 at the Old Bailey. It's Rebecca Brooks' 13th day in the witness box. Andrew Edis, lead QC for the prosecution, stands up to begin his questions once again. The court reporters have nicknamed Edis the Cobra for his ability to mesmerise, then strike. But Rebecca Brooks is not easy prey.
The Cobra is a great nickname. It makes him sound like something out of the Karate Kid. Yes. The odds have been stacked against Edis from day one. The legal team funded by News International comprises some of the best defence lawyers in the country. Edis' whole team earns less in a day than just one of the leading defence QCs does per hour. Maybe he should consider working for those guys instead. Just putting it out there. It's just good maths.
Rebecca's defence testimony has been a masterclass in winning over a jury. A gripping tale of her battle against misogyny in the male-dominated newspaper industry, how her struggle to have a child impacted her emotionally, and how she's rebuilt her life against the backdrop of baying mobs and paparazzi. Edith asks about the cover-up.
She authorised a million-pound payoff to one of the hacking victims, the PR supremo Max Clifford. Oh, Max Clifford is a blast from the past and a man later found guilty of indecent assault. Yes, indeed. Well, Rebecca had lunch with Max Clifford and the pair agreed a one-million-pound deal. Edith asks about the detail. Do you agree you settled with Max Clifford to stop Mulcair naming names? Yes, in part. Then he turns to her love letter to Andy Coulson. Rebecca plays it down.
In a time of hurt, after a few glasses of wine, you shouldn't get on the computer. Too right. You should see the rubbish I bought on eBay after a couple of cans. Yeah, sure. Sure, sure. That's the worst. Finally, Edith says no further questions. There's been no killer blow. Rebecca has put forward her vulnerable side. She's never lost her cool, but there's still more to come. Her husband Charlie is in the dock too. He has to answer questions about the laptop he hid from police.
Was he hiding incriminating evidence? It's the 28th of March, 2014. Charlie Brooks has been dreading this day. He's here because of his decision to try and hide a laptop from the police. Now he's on trial for attempting to pervert the course of justice. He has to talk about Pizzagate in a court of law with the world's media watching.
So we've had Horsegate and Pizzagate just in this one story, and this Pizzagate isn't to be confused with the other Pizzagate conspiracy theory in America. We need a new name for scandals other than gate. You're absolutely right, and we need to explain this too. So do you remember last episode when Rebecca was arrested and Charlie had the big night on the vino? Yes. And he lost his laptop. Well, it turns out a cleaner found the bin bag with his items...
and handed it straight to the police. Wow. So then the police go and find the CCTV from the underground car park, as you would...
And it shows Charlie coming down in the lift, hiding the bin bag with the laptop in. Then Mark Hanna, Rebecca's security chief, he comes down and gets the bag. That evening, after the police search is over, one of Mark Hanna's security team comes back, puts the bag back inside the bins, then hands over some pizzas to Charlie Brooks' friend. Hence the name Pizzagate. That's Pizzagate. And not laptop in a bin gate. Which is also catchy. And if you must know, the pizza was actually pepperoni and barbecue steak with piri-piri stuffed crust. Oh!
Oh, pizza sounds amazing. That makes me really like him. But his mate is an idiot. Why would you bring the pizzas up and not the bag with the laptop in it? That was the whole point. Yeah, and get this. Once the security man hands the pizzas over, this is what he texts to his boss. Broad sword to Danny boy, pizzas delivered. The chicken is in the pot. That's more suspicious than just texting, I've handed over the illegal stuff. We've just broken the law. Bye.
I did the crime. Love you. When the police retrieved the mysterious bin bag, they assumed the laptop inside must belong to Rebecca, obviously. Why else would Charlie go to so much trouble to hide it? So what was on it? It was actually Charlie's laptop.
and there was no evidence of crime. The only dodgy thing on it was Charlie's porn collection. I can't believe you had a special porn computer. I hope they wiped it down. Do you want to know what else was in the bag? I'm worried now. You're going to love this. His unpublished novel. This is like your other podcast. Is Charlie Brooks actually Rocky Flintstone? And do you know what else? What? How can this get any better? This is so crazy.
A conker. What? Just one conker? What else did he have? A catapult? A pea shooter? It's all his favourite things. His perfect night. Watch a bit of porn, play a bit of conkers, read a bit of my novel. When I said watch porn and touch your conkers, it's not what I meant, Charlie. You idiot. Oh my goodness. Well...
Back in court, all of this causes more than a few giggles, as you can imagine. The Public Gallery even has a celebrity guest today, Charlie's friend Jeremy Clarkson, another member of the Chipping Norton set. Probably hoping for a game of conkers. Don't be ridiculous, it's not the season. Charlie begins to explain. This is going to be good. His defence is he was in the process of writing a novel for the publishing house HarperCollins.
They might have dropped him if there were any delay due to the police seizing his laptop. Plus, he was worried about how his wife Rebecca would react if she found out about his porn collection. He adds it was from his bachelor days. Why has he still got it then? Who keeps it? People watch porn. Calm down. It's fine. You don't have to chuck it in the bin.
For the benefit of the court, Charlie runs through his book outline. The concept was a Hooray Henry falls in love with a Russian hooker. He didn't realise she was a hooker. She had the temperament of a nice Rodine girl. Rodine, like the posh private school. Everyone is smiling. Except Rebecca, that is. Her face is set in a worried frown. Today might have offered some light relief, but it'll take more than that to save Rebecca from prison. It's May 2014, the Old Bailey, London.
It's the turn of Andy Coulson in the witness box. Prosecution lawyer Andrew Edis is determined to do better than he did with Rebecca. Throughout the course of his two-year trial, Coulson has been the most studious defendant in the dock. Day after day, he's stayed behind after his co-defendants have gone home. He's taken notes, carefully watched the judge, barristers and journalists. His attention to detail has been unflagging and after three weeks in the witness box, Andy hasn't put a foot wrong.
But today, Edith thinks he has a chance. He's been grilling Coulson on the hacking of the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, while Andy was editor of the News of the World. Edith presents a tape with Andy telling Blunkett he knows he's having an affair. For the first time, Andy looks shaky. It seems like evidence that he knew about the hacking. Andy's story today is that he didn't actually have proof of the affair. He was just bluffing. I accept I was being disingenuous. Edith pushes. You were lying.
I prefer disingenuous. The judge loses his patience. Were you telling a deliberate untruth, yes or no? Edith eyes Coulson. After some deliberation, Andy answers. Yes. Everyone in court feels the mood shift. Edith steals a glance at Coulson's defence lawyer. He looks wary. In the public gallery, Coulson's wife Eloise bites her lip.
This feels like a big moment. Yeah, exactly. It makes him look really sus. Whether you think he was lying then or lying now, either way, he's admitting to lying to the Home Secretary. That's not a good look. I'm telling you the truth about the time I lied. Believe me. Edith knows the time is right. He produces his ace card. It's an email written by Coulson, sent to a member of the paper's staff. It refers to the celebrity Callum Best. He reads it out.
Do his phone. I mean, it couldn't be clearer. Coulson tries to explain it away. He says he was referring to the phone billing details of one of his reporters. It sounds unlikely. He's tired, worn down. Is this the breakthrough for the prosecution? It's the 24th of June, 2014. Andy Coulson and Rebecca Brooks stand side by side in the dock. The jury is about to deliver its verdict. Here we go. Judgment day.
Andy glances her way. Rebecca doesn't look back. She focuses on Charlie instead, just metres away. Not long now, and it will all be over. But will they be going back to Oxfordshire together, or will one or both of them be heading for prison? Andy turns his gaze to his wife Eloise. He can see how scared she is, and he knows why. He's well aware how shaky his defence looked by the time he finished giving evidence.
But there's always a chance the jury will come down on his side. Rebecca watches the foreman of the jury stand. This is it. She hears her name. Then the foreman speaks. Not guilty of all charges. Wow. Next, it's the verdict for her husband, Charlie. Not guilty. Get that man a peri-peri stuffed crust pizza. It's celebration time.
Andy barely notices their reactions. He's still processing what he's heard so far. Rebecca, not guilty. Charlie, Mark, Hannah and Rebecca's PA, Cheryl, also cleared of their charges. Stuart Kuttner, the man who controlled the purse strings at the News of the World, who oversaw payments to the likes of Glenmulcair, is found not guilty of hacking charges. That wasn't expected. Could that mean he's in the clear too? The foreman says Andy's name. He's not looking at Andy.
Conspiracy to unlawfully intercept communications. Guilty. Oh, man. The next few moments are a blur. The judge announces Andy is to be released on bail pending sentencing next month. Andy knows it probably means prison. He can just make out Eloise in the public gallery, wiping tears from her eyes. There's the briefest glance between Andy and Rebecca, but neither of them hold it for long. They're on different paths now. Rebecca leaves the dock, clutching Charlie's hand tightly.
Rebecca gets into her waiting car. At last, she and Charlie can both go home. Andy is left standing alone. He stares down at his notebook. He starts making notes again. A workaholic reporter right to the end. He doesn't know what else to do but finish writing the story up. It's over.
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It's the 4th of July, 2014. Independence Day. The irony isn't lost on Andy Coulson, because today he's being sentenced. He's going to prison. The only question now is, for how long? He listens as the sentences of his former colleagues are read out. Greg Miskew, six months. The other News of the World staffers, Neville Thirlbeck, James Weatherup, six months. Glenn Mulcair, the same. Suspended. Then he hears his name.
18 months. Andy tries to remain poker-faced as he takes it in. He's going to HMP Belmarsh, a Category A prison. This is not the kind of place where offenders like him usually end up. I mean, it couldn't have gone much worse for him. There's nothing Andy can do about the decision right now. He pleaded not guilty and he stands by that. But the jury came to a different conclusion and he intends to take his punishment on the chin.
He wants to retain some semblance of dignity. Stop the paparazzi getting a photo of him in the prison truck as he leaves the court. He just about manages it with some well-timed ducking. As Andy walks to his cell for the first time, he considers his future beyond these walls. Once he's done his time, Andy has no idea what kind of life awaits. 7th September 2015, a year later, London Bridge. Rebecca Brooks knew the paps would be out in force today.
In other words, the news of the world with a different name. You might say that, Matt.
Rebecca's been reappointed as CEO. She tells the staff it's good to be home. This really is home to Rebecca. It's what she's known since she was 20 years old. She still has the backing of Rupert Murdoch. She's a survivor. And she's the boss. It's February 5th, 2018, three years later, at the High Court in London.
Mirror Group Newspapers has just admitted senior employees, including its editors, executives and journalists, condoned, encouraged or actively turned a blind eye to the culture of phone hacking. This was between 1998 and 2009, when Piers Morgan was among those in charge.
People do forget this, but loads of other papers are involved in this beyond News International. Yeah, for a while the phone hacking culture was endemic. It involved countless journalists, many of whom had still never really been scrutinised for it until these later trials, despite Leveson. As a result of today's case in the High Court, the actor Hugh Grant has been awarded a six-figure sum.
He makes a statement outside the court. He's been fighting for so long because he wanted the criminal underbelly of Fleet Street exposed. It wasn't about the money, but the admission of guilt. So the phone hacking victims won in the end? Well, a month later in the House of Commons, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock announces that the government's promised second part of the Leveson inquiry is being abandoned. This was the part of the inquiry that was going to look at the links between the police and the press. Hancock says...
The world has changed. News International and Mirror Group newspapers have been settling endless phone hacking claims out of court. Thousands of victims, from public officials to celebrities, have been offered lump sums of money almost as a matter of course. This is like the PPI of the showbiz world. Were you vaguely famous or dating a celebrity between 1998 and 2009? Do you own a mobile phone? Then you could be due compensation.
You're not wrong. So what happened to Andy? So Andy Coulson moved from Belmarsh to Hollersley Bay Open Prison in Kent after nine weeks and served a total of just under five months. He now runs a successful strategy business. He also has his own podcast, Crisis What Crisis, about how successful people have overcome adversity. Leave it a rating and a review.
On the 11th of June 2021, nearly 10 years after the closure of the News of the World, Rupert Murdoch's company wrote down the value of The Sun and The Sun on Sunday to zero. More than 80% of The Sun's losses, about £164 million, were one-off charges mostly related to phone hacking. Next week, we've got author of Hack Attack and the man who broke this story, Nick Davies, on the show.
This is the fourth episode in our series, The Murdoch Phone Hacking. In the episode notes, you'll find some links and offers from our sponsors. Please support them by supporting them. You help us offer you this show for free. Another way to support us is to answer a short survey at wondery.com slash survey. A quick note about our dialogue. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but all our dramatizations are based on historical research.
If you'd like to know more about this story, we especially recommend the books Hack Attack by Nick Davies, Beyond Contempt by Peter Dukes, and The News Machine by Glenn Mulcair and James Hanning. I'm Matt Ford. And I'm Alice Levine. Wendy Grandeter wrote this episode. Additional writing by Alice Levine and Matt Ford. Our sound design is by Rich Evans. Our senior producer is Russell Finch. Our executive producers are Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louis for Wondery. Wondery.
She struck him with her motor vehicle. She had been under the influence, and then she left him there. In January 2022, local woman Karen Reed was implicated in the mysterious death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. It was alleged that after an innocent night out for drinks with friends, Karen and John got into a lover's quarrel en route to the next location. What happens next depends on who you ask.
Was it a crime of passion? If you believe the prosecution, it's because the evidence was so compelling. This was clearly an intentional act. And his cause of death was blunt force trauma with hypothermia. Or a corrupt police cover-up. If you believe the defense theory, however, this was all a cover-up to prevent one of their own from going down. Everyone had an opinion.
And after the 10-week trial, the jury could not come to a unanimous decision. To end in a mistrial, it's just a confirmation of just how complicated this case is. Law and Crime presents the most in-depth analysis to date of the sensational case in Karen. You can listen to Karen exclusively with Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.